Receptacle



F. A. BALL RECEPTACLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 5, 1936 R m a m m Aug. 22, 1939. BALL 2,170,525

RECEPTACLE Filed Oct. 5, 1936 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .3 fif 7 3? 40 INVENT OR.

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Patented Aug. 22, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE,

2,110,525 I lmcnr'racw' Frances a. Ball, New York. N. Y. I

Application October 5, 1936, Serial No. 104,022

I 6Claims.

The present invention relates to receptacles and more particularly to metal containers providedjwith protecting and silencing means.

Noise is one of the serious objections to urban life and determined efforts are being made to minimize it as much as possible. In most cities, there are ordinances-against unnecessary noises.

. The present invention is more particularly concerned with eliminating or minimizing noises in connection with the removal of garbage, ashes and the like, but it is adapted for many other uses. The general-practice is to dump ashes and garbage into large metal cans about the size of a barrel and place the cans on the sidewalk, or at some other suitable place, ready for dumping into the garbage truck which passes daily, usually early in the morning while many people are and sick rooms.

asleep. The large cans usually are raised onto the truck, dumped and returned to the sidewalk or cellar. The cans strike against each other in handling and empty cans are frequently dropped from trucks by careless workmen and rolled from one place to another on the sidewalk. The noise incident thereto is nerve wracking and has been endured by city residents as a necessary part of their lives, even in the vicinities of hospitals Various attempts have been made to provide silencing devices for receptacles such .as pails and buckets, but these attempts have not met with success due to excessive cost of .the devices, difficulties in their application, and to their inability to withstand the rough usage to which they must be subjected.

'I'hepresent invention aims to provide receptacles with inexpensive silencing devices which not only minimize noise but also reinforce the receptacles to increase materially the life thereof. The device is particularly adaptable for application to large containers used for garbage, ashes or other refuse and may be applied to containers during their manufacture or to containers now in use, at a minimum .cost.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simpleinexpensive silencing device for metal containers and the like.

- Another object of the invention is to provide a practical silencing device for ash and garbage cans. 1

Another object of the invention is to provide a silencing device which can be applied to new containers during their manufacture and toold containers in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide -a reinforcing device for containers adapted to withstand rough usage.

Another object of the invention is to provide a V silencing device for the bottom of a container.

A further object of the invention is to provide a silencing device for the side wall of a container.

Other and further objects of 'the invention willbe obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

A preferredembodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown v in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, wherein Y Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a metal container or the like illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention;

' Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view. v

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of a modiflcation of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional. view illustrating another way of attaching silencing means to the bottom of the container;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a silencing device particularly adapted to be quickly attached to l and removed from receptacles; and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 7 illustrating a detail thereof.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, there is shown, for example, an ash or garbage can i having a body or side wall 2 formed of a sheet of flat or corrugated metal bent into substantially circularform and bolted, riveted or welded together at its seam 3.

At the bottom of the side wall a substantially annular member or strip 4 extends about the periphery of the can and depends downwardly from the lower edge of the side wall. The strip 4 may be attached by bolts or rivets 5 or may be welded to the side wall, and a member 6 forming the bottom of the can or barrel may be connected to the strip 4 by rivets l which extend through a flange 9 on the bottom member and through the downwardly depending portion of the strip. If desired, any other suitable means such as bolts or welding may be utilized for connecting the parts together. The band or strip 4 and the flange 9 by being secured together provide a double thickness of material at the bottom of the can adapted to reinforce the bottom and strengthen its construction.

In order to further protect the bottom of the barrel against rough usage and to eliminate noise, an annular strip ill of rubber or other suitable resilient shock absorbing and silencing material is attached to the bottom edge of the strip. Preferably, the rubber strip is substantially circular and has a slit or groove 8 therein adapted to engage and grip the edge of the strip 4. Preferably, the edge of the strip 4 is rounded as shown at H to provide suitable attaching means for the rubber strip and to eliminate sharp edges which would increase the wear on the strip. The rounded bead H may be formed'by a solid enlarged portion in the strip 4 or by rolling a tubular bead or a wire edge on the bottom of the metal strip. In addition to holding the rubber strip in position by the bead H, the rubber strip may be vulcanized on the band member 4 or adhered thereto by an adhesive such as rubber cement. If desired, a similar annular strip of rubber may be secured to the upper end of the container.

The present invention also contemplates protecting and cushioning the side wall of the container to eliminate noise when the container is dropped on its Side or comes in contact with another container. Preferably, this is accomplished by providing a plurality of suitable rubber tubes or sleeves l2, for example eight, circumferentially spaced about the side wall of the container and extending along substantially the entire length thereof. These rubber sleeves may have any desired cross-section but preferably are circular and have a central aperture l4 extending from end to end for receiving elongated rods l5 adapted to be attached to the barrel. The lower ends of the rods preferably have heads l6 for connecting the rods to brackets I'I riveted or otherwise secured to the band 4 at the bot tom of the barrel. The upper ends of the rods extend through similar brackets l9 secured to an,

annular member l8 extending about the upper end of the container. The upper ends of the rods may be riveted to the brackets l9 or niaybe threaded to receive suitable nuts. The brackets H and I9 preferably are L-shaped with a vertical flange 20 secured to the annular members 4 or l8 and a horizontal flange 2| for receiving the ends of the rods l5. The rods may be formed of steel or other suitable material and when secured in place strengthen the side wall of the barrel to prevent it from being crushed either transversely or longitudinally. The vertical silencing members I2 extend outwardly sufflciently far from the side of the cans to prevent engagement of the can bodies when two cans are placed against each other regardless of the position they are in. Likewise, if the cans are placed against a flat surface, the body of the can will be spaced from the surface by the engagement of the vertical members l2 with the surface. This prevents contact of metal parts and the noise incident thereto. The rods and rubber sleeves not only provide silencing means, but also strengthen the barrel. ,It will be unadapted for containers now in use.

derstood that use of the silencing means for both the bottom and sides of the can is preferred but either may be used without the other.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 a modified construction is illustrated wherein an annular strip or band member 25 is attached to the lower edge of the can, provided with an outwardly extending flange 26 or circumferentially spaced lugs for attach-v bottom members can be assembled by a single operation.

Preferably, the lower portion of the band member 25 projects downwardly from the bottom edge of the receptacle and has at its lower end a bead or wire edge 28 (Fig. 6) adapted to provide means for attaching. the rubber silencing member ID and to eliminate sharp edges which would increase the wear on the rubber member.

At the upper end of the receptacle a band member 29, similar to the band member 25, extends about the receptacle having a flange 30 for mounting the upper ends of the rods l5. Here again, the use of the band member eliminates the necessity of a series of brackets and simplifies the construction. The'band member 29 may be attached to the receptacle in any suitable manner, but preferably, as illustrated herein, is attached by a series of circumferentially spaced wedge members or clips 3| having bifurcated wedge fingers 23 clamping the band 29 against the wall of the receptacle. The band 29 may be attached by placing its upper edge in alignment with the upper edge of the receptacle and driving the wedge fingers downwardly to grip the wall and band members. If desired, the wedges may be welded or otherwise secured in position on the wall and band members. The wedge members may be made of steel or other suitable material. The metal rods l5 may be secured to the band member 29 by the nuts 40 threaded to the ends thereof projecting through the apertures of the band member.-

In Figs. 7 and 8 a silencing and reinforcing construction is illustrated which is particularly This construction is illustrated in the form of a frame or cage adapted to receive a container I and preferably comprises a band member 32 attached to the lower ends of the rods, and a band member 33 attached to the upper ends of the rods IS.

The lower band member 32 may be constructed in any desired manner, but preferably is formed of relatively rigid sheet metal folded upon its'elf to form a U-shaped ordoubled back portion 34 projecting downwardly and adapted to receive a rubber member ID. If desired, apertures, projections or other irregularities 35 may be formed in the portion 34 to provide interlocking means for the rubber-member adhered thereto as described hereinbefore. The band 32 is also provided with a substantiallyhorizontal outwardly extending flange 36 for attaching the lower ends of the rods and an inwardly extending flange 31 at the inside of the band for supporting the bottom of the container (Fig. 8).

apertures for receiving the upper ends of the rods and is provided with fingers or lugs 39 at the inner periphery adapted to engage the upper edge of the container. Preferably, the frame is attached to the container by placing the container therein and thereafter connecting the upper band to the rods to retain the container against upward movement. In order to enable the frame to. be attached in a simple manner, the rods l5 are threaded to receive nuts ill-adapted to hold the band member 33 in position. If desired, any other suitable means, for example, that shown in Fig. 2 may be utilized instead of the means shown in Fig. 7 for securing the upper ends of the rods in, position. The frame illustrated may be readily removed from one container and attached to another.

It will be understood that the present inven tion is also applicable to non-metallic containers such as wooden barrels, glass or ceramic vessels and other receptacles used for numerous other purposes. It will also be understood that various types of attaching means for securing the parts together, for example, welding, bolts, rivets and other fastening devices may be utilized independently of each other, if desired. The parts of the silencing device are rugged in construction and can readily withstand any rough usage. to which they may be subjected.

As various changes may-be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a container having a bottom and a body portion, a plurality of upright silencing members extending along the sides of the body portion and having their lower ends secured to said container, asubstantially annular member extendingabout the body portion of] said container at the upper end thereof having the upper ends of said upright members connected thereto, and a plurality of wedge members for" connecting said annular member-to the body portion of said container.

2. A silencing frame-like attachment for a container of the class described, comprising a lower band member, an-upper band member, said upper band member. having means thereon adapted to extend over the upper end. of a container to removably connect the frame to the container, said band members each having an outwardly extending portion, each portion having an aperture, said apertures being in substantially vertical alignment with each other, a rod having its upper and lower end extending respectively into the aligned apertures of the apertured portions of said upper and lower band members and wardly extending flange, said upper outwardly extending flange having apertures therein and said lower outwardly extending flange having apertures therein in vertical alignment with apertures in said upper-outwardly extending .flange, a series of rods each having its respective ends extending through aligned apertures and secured to said band members, means for removably securing said band members to said container, and silencing means mounted on said rods.

4. A silencing frame-like attachment for a container of the class described, comprising a pair of band members adapted to extend about a container, each member being provided with outwardly extending bracket means each having a substantially vertical aperture therein adapted to receive a rod, a plurality-of upright rods each having its respective ends extending into an aperture of one of said bracket means, said rods having means at the ends thereof for removably connecting said rods to said bracket means, and

of said band members being adapted to be re-' movably secured to a container, a plurality of rods each having an end extending through said means on one of said band members and each having its other end extending through said means on said other band member, the ends of said rods being secured to said means, and removably secured at one end thereof, and silencing sleeves telescoped over said rods and being adapted to be removed and replaced by disconnecting said rods from said outwardlyextending means.

' 6. A silencing frame for a container of the class described, comprising a pair of annular members each having an annular outwardly extending flange portion provided with spaced apertures, a plurality of rods having their ends extending through said apertures,.means includ ing a head at one end of said rods, a threaded portion at the other end and afnut for connect- 

